Over the past several years, the Vietnamese Communist government has allowed many Chinese companies to conduct mining and labor projects on Vietnamese land. The widely contested Bauxite Mining project is a prime example of the many devastating projects approved by the Communist Party in Vietnam. Besides Bauxite Mining, there are many other projects that are detrimental to Vietnam’s land and its people. A large percentage of the workers involved in these projects are not even from Vietnam. They are, in fact, from China, working in Vietnam, devastating Vietnamese land, and terrorizing Vietnamese people.

According to Asia News (Friday, August 26, 2011), there are more than 74,000 foreign workers in Vietnam, 90% of them are Chinese. They occupy all areas of Vietnam, from the northern province of Lang Son, reaching all the way to the south, down to the province of Ca Mau. Even more disturbing however, is that the majority of these Chinese workers do not have permission to work in Vietnam, in other words, they are in Vietnam illegally. Of the 2,000 workers in Ninh Binh province, about 1,500 of them are illegal. For Ca Mau province, only 690 out of 1700 workers are permitted to work. These numbers should help illustrate the problematic situation in Vietnam, one that the Communist Party is doing nothing to fix.

The issue doesn’t stop there, disturbingly enough. Not only are these illegal workers poorly trained and unequipped to work, they are also guilty of terrorizing the Vietnamese locals on a regular basis. There are numerous reports of Chinese workers harassing and assaulting Vietnamese locals, such as shopkeepers and merchants. In many cases, the Chinese workers will refuse to pay for items or services provided for them. They would steal, threaten, and then return with large entourages of other Chinese workers to destroy the shops and businesses that had just serviced them. There are reports where hundreds, even thousands of illegal Chinese workers would beat local shopkeepers with weapons and tools, steal their merchandise, and tear down their businesses to the ground.

What does the Vietnamese government have to say about all this? Not much, apparently. After all, it was they, the Vietnamese Communists, who allowed China to send in their workers, terrorize, and destroy Vietnam’s economy in the first place. It is good that they have spoken in the Paracel and Spratly matter, but that is far from enough. There are many major problems that the Chinese have afflicted Vietnam with, many problems that the government has yet to address. The People’s Republic of China has invaded Vietnam in every way but one, military force. They’ve attacked Vietnam’s economic development, domestic politics, and the people’s way of life. This is a serious problem, one that the Communists in Vietnam are inadequate to deal with.

This is just a brief note on why we should start boycotting Chinese-made products. The first reason is obvious, the Communist government in Beijing has been executing a policy of aggression and expansionism towards all of its neighbours. They’ve made clear their intentions to occupy all of Southeast Asia Sea, sending in their navy numerous times to harass and terrorize the fishermen, researchers, and coastguards of nearby nations.

It is already known what the Chinese Communist does to their smaller neighbors, well here’s a reason that’s closer to home for us. The People’s Republic of China has made many aggressive acts towards the United States of America, they may be more subtle than the occurrences in Asia, but they are not invisible. Numerous cases of plagiarism and espionage have been reported by the U.S. against the People’s Republic of China. The Beijing government has been criticized for hacking, intrusion, and computer espionage against many major American companies. As a result, staggering quantities of American intelligence has fallen into the hands of the Communist Chinese.

Digital espionage and theft of valuable information is just the start of the intrusive and aggressive acts against the United States. Many of you may recall the whole episode of Chinese currency manipulation against the U.S. dollar. It was only months ago when the U.S. had to confront the PRC for their manipulation of the Yuan, pegging it to the American dollar to keep Chinese prices low. This resulted in the stagnation of the American economy, keeping the U.S. recovery at a standstill for the longest time.

The last reason I am presenting to you is a safety matter. Many recent reports have shown that many raw materials imported from the PRC are very toxic, dangerous to the health of our consumers. Chinese-imported toys are said to contain harmful chemicals such as lead, which can cause major health problems to the children who play with them. Furthermore, there have been reports of respiratory problems caused by the chemicals and materials found in drywall imported from China. These problems may not be construed as acts of aggression, but they are definitely health hazards.

As a result, I am led to believe that the Beijing government’s approach to consumer safety is similar to their approach to international politics, reckless, irresponsible, and shameless. For this reason, I am asking you to just consider this one thing: when you’re about to purchase something, check where it is made before you take it to the register. There are many reasons to boycott Chinese made products, I have just outlined only a few for you. Obviously, you are in charge of what you buy or not buy, all I ask of you is this: check the tag.

Anyone seeking substantial evidence of Vietnam’s unstable economy may want to take a look at the current state of Vinashin, the country’s state-run shipbuilding corporation. What was meant to be Vietnam’s first great leap into the industrial era has turned out to be a major fiasco. Vinashin was the Communist Party’s attempt to lead Vietnam’s economy into the shipbuilding arena. The had hoped to create more heavy industries in Vietnam, with Vinashin at the forefront of this path to modernization. Unfortunately for them, this dream will not become a reality. Vinashin has run up a debt of $4.4 billion, with $600 million of this money owed to foreign investors.

As a state-run company, Vinashin was depending on some government assistance to keep the company afloat. However, at least to the company’s surprise, the government did not come to their assistance. In 2007, the government sent a letter to Vinashin that expressed their support for the company, safeguarding a $600 million loan from foreign investors. This promise meant nothing, it turns out. When Vinashin encountered financial troubles as a result of the recent global recession, the government failed to provide help to the company. As a result, Vinashin was unable to repay its ever growing debts, and drew even closer to bankruptcy.

The incompetence of the Communist government, along with the company’s personnel, have led to the downfall of the shipbuilding corporation. Foreign investors and lenders now believe that they have been cheated by the VCP. With billions of dollars in debt and no sign of improvement, the Vinashin shipbuilding company has no way to repay their investors, who are demanding their money back. Economically, Vinashin is a prime example of how incapable the Communist Party is of building a functional corporation for the country. With no emphasis on creating a professional workforce or the training of competent employment, any attempt by the state to modernize the economy will surely end in failure.

Here is something that I hope many of you will find interesting. There is word going around from some analysts, suggesting that the Communist Party of Vietnam is going bankrupt. This is more than speculation, but since the Communist system is built upon nothing but lies, it is a very real possibility. How can this be? Isn’t Vietnam one of Asia’s second fastest growing economies, only behind China, with an annual GDP growth of 7-8%? Maybe, but maybe not.

Let’s talk about China for a moment. It is widely believed that the Chinese economy is one of the fastest growing economies in the world. Strong GDP figures, healthy numbers on the Consumer Price Index (CPI), and so on. But hold on a minute, how do we know that these figures are what the Chinese Communists say they are? An article by Taipen Daily editor Justice Litle puts these figures directly into question.

According to Litle, many of China’s claims to economic growth are strongly exaggerated, even to the point of outright fabrication. In his article, “China Has Reason to be Terrified” (February 25, 2011), Litle goes over the discrepancies in China’s statistics on economic growth, looking at the reasons why the numbers just don’t add up. To further strengthen his argument, Litle quotes the words of a Li Kequiang, China’s prominent political insider, who refers to the statistical figures as “man-made” and “for references only.” To summarize, it is possible that the stats for China’s economic growth, as released by Beijing, may be completely untrue. Though we may not be able to prove it yet, the ferocity of China’s economic growth may be fabricated. Furthermore, it is possible that the country is more of a paper tiger than is generally perceived.

Let’s now look back at Communist Vietnam, who, to the chagrin of your’s truly, always seems to be following in Beijing’s footsteps. Nowadays, it is believed that Vietnam is the new up-and-coming economy in Asia, with a strong annual growth and ever-increasing market strength. This general perception, like that of China’s, may also be nothing but pure bull. Not only is Vietnam’s economy not what its leaders claim it to be, but its condition may actually be worse. Exponentially worse, as a matter of fact. Unlike China, who may still have the investment and economic clout to sustain itself, the smaller economy of Vietnam might not even have enough money to keep its economy afloat for much longer. As a matter of fact, many believe that Vietnam’s economy is set to collapse in the not-too-distant future, taking the Communists with it.

It seems that the Communist regime is not as sustainable as the fools hoped it would be. Vietnam’s Communist dictators are starting to run out of steam, taking so much money out of the economy that the system itself is now in jeopardy. Though it is not positively certain that the Communists are on their way out, one should still feel joy in the possibility that their impending collapse may happen very soon. Vietnam is in need of a revolution, and this need grows steadily stronger with time. Double digit inflation is plaguing the Vietnamese economy, and this new evidence of statistical fabrication only strengthens the possibility that the Communists are losing grip of their own system. This may be the breaking point of the Communist regime. It is obvious that they’ve pushed the people too far, but it seems that they are pushing the system to the limit as well. It is only a matter of time now, Vietnam’s revolution may not be far away.

Much controversy has been raised over a new construction project based in the heart of the Mekong Delta. The Xayaburi Dam, a project under consideration between Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, and Vietnam, and will be taking place in the Xayaburi province of Laos. If approved, this construction project will be the first of many within the Mekong River, something that the inhabitants strongly disapprove of.

The problems associated with the dam’s construction mainly involves the strong chance of environmental destruction and loss of natural life in the area. If built, many argue, the dam would end up killing many species of fish and other aquatic lifeforms of that habitat. Not only will this result in the extinction of many of these species, but will deprive the inhabitants of that region of their food supply, and see the destruction of many of their homes as well.

The Mekong River is a natural habitat to many diverse species of animals and plants, more importantly, it is the home of many different cultural peoples. Natives and minority groups from Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, and Thailand all rely on the resources of the Mekong Delta to support their ways of life. The construction of this dam threatens the very livelihood of all these peoples. That is why the construction of the Xayaburi Dam should not be approved by us. To defend the natural beauty of the Mekong River, and to defend the inhabitants of this River, we must not support the construction of this dam.

Here in the west, analysts like to talk about Vietnam’s rising economy and wealth, but what they fail to see is the plight of the Vietnamese people at the hands of the VCP. It is true that Vietnam is a fast growing economy, with an annual GDP increase of 7-8%. However, one should look at the life of the average citizen to get the whole picture. The Communist Party will do whatever it takes to sustain the country’s economic growth, even at the expense of the Vietnamese people.

Land seizure has become an increasingly serious issue in Vietnam today, as the Party feels no remorse for taking land from the people to further enrich themselves. In the countryside, they capture the lands of the farmers to establish new plants and factories, polluting the waters and destroying their livelihood. In the cities, confiscate houses and homes in efforts to carry out new construction projects, even if it means leaving the residents homeless.

The incident with Pham Thanh Son this week is just one example of many discontented citizens under the Communist regime today. Only days ago, a small gathering of about 500 people came together to protest the Vietnamese Communist Party and their corruption. Amazingly enough, these citizens have no idea about what’s happening in the Middle East and North Africa right now because government has censored the news so heavily.

Even with all this censorship, the people in Vietnam can still see that there is something wrong with their government. If only they knew what was happening all around the Middle East right now, they will surely have the fire to invoke their own Jasmine Revolution in Vietnam. The Vietnamese people are waiting for a change, the only thing they need now is the information. The government knows this, which is why they’re censoring the internet with such extreme vigour. The clock is ticking though, the change will come.

This is probably one of the most obvious observation about the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, since I’ve been making numerous references to these problems through many of my posts. However, I will put it all out here and go into deeper detail about how the Communists lied to the Vietnamese people and why the Communist ideology is no better than what you flush down the toilet every morning.

What did the Communists promise to the people? Happiness, utopia, a worker’s paradise, that’s what. Well, let’s just look at what life in Vietnam is like, just to be sure if they’ve followed through on any of their promises. One of the key points in Marxist doctrine is the redistribution of wealth and common ownership among the population. I’m not saying that’s the smartest idea, though that was what the people believed in.

According to Thanh Nien Daily, 38% of people in Hanoi and 59% in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) are not covered by Vietnam’s social security system. 27% of young people have not completed high school education, and many teenaged people are not even enrolled in school. The average income per month for a Hanoi resident is about $119 US, while residents in Saigon make approximately $125 US per month.

Furthermore, many families living in the countryside do not even have access to clean drinking water or adequate sanitation facilities. Much of the rivers and lakes in the rural areas have been contaminated by pollution from big city factories and government mining projects. The residents of these regions have no choice but to live off of this dirty water. Needless to say, many folks from Vietnam’s rurality have gotten severely ill, even fatally ill, from drinking this contaminated water. Many who suffer from drinking the spoiled waters are only small children.

Extreme poverty in the country, contrasted with the staggering wealth of the Vietnamese Communist Party, and one could see that the Communist ideology as a whole is truly a big pile of garbage. There is no equality in Vietnam, there is little happiness in Vietnam, and there is definitely no worker’s paradise in Vietnam. How can Vietnam be a worker’s paradise when the Party reaps the all the benefits, content with leaving a large part of the population without jobs or homes?

It doesn’t matter what they call themselves, Marxists-Leninists, Communists, Reformed Socialists, or even the contradictory title of Red Capitalists. Their names do not matter, but their actions surely do. Everything the Communists have done within the last 35 years have damaged the country in ways that may take decades to recover from. Even if they continue to brainwash the people of Vietnam and terrorize them into believing that they’re living in a worker’s paradise, no amount of terror will ever make it come true.